The Second Chance Garden

July 10, 2023
There’s a whole lot of nothing going on in this dull second-chance romance from Pine (Holding Out for a Cowboy). The residents of Summertown scramble after the town is hit by a tornado. The $50,000 prize money from an annual Garden Fest competition against the neighboring Middlebrook would go a long way toward repairs, kicking off one of the many listless subplots playing out in the background of this romance. At the foreground is social media manager Emma Woods, who is unexpectedly reunited with her first love, Matteo Rourke, when he comes to her rescue after a rogue squirrel invades her family’s inn. Matteo regrets breaking Emma’s heart, but when he was arrested at 18 on trumped up charges, he was left with little hope for a bright future. He pushed Emma away—but now that he’s out of prison and has a successful career in pest control, he hopes she can forgive him. Their path to a fresh start faces numerous detours as the new town sheriff makes his feelings for Emma clear and all characters are sucked into a mystery surrounding an anonymous local artist. Unfortunately, none of it feels particularly urgent or earned. Readers will be better served elsewhere. Agent: Emily Sylvan Kim, Prospect Agency.